Politics, politics, politics (so long and thanks for all the fish)

[P.D.]

Unless you return them to being properly state funded, they will have to behave like businesses

It's not going to happen - imagine the headlines if Cambridge started capping UK numbers for international students.

 

[Gutter Boy]

It's not going to happen - imagine the headlines if Cambridge started capping UK numbers for international students.

That's always been the case, since fees came in in the 90s. Universities don't accept every UK applicant, then fill the spaces with foreign students.

 

[Lilbaz]

That's always been the case, since fees came in in the 90s. Universities don't accept every UK applicant, then fill the spaces with foreign students.

Or cut your budget. If you have so much coming in, that's whst you can spend. I know it's a radical and unpopular idea but it works.

 

[Gutter Boy]

Or cut your budget. If you have so much coming in, that's whst you can spend. I know it's a radical and unpopular idea but it works.

Lecturers (starting salary £32k) are already paid less than primary school teachers (£33k). Many use food banks to get by

 

[Lilbaz]

Lecturers (starting salary £32k) are already paid less than primary school teachers (£33k). Many use food banks to get by

So it costs £13k in student fees a year? Yet the lecturer is only getting £32k?
So either the lecturer has very few students. Or the money is going elsewhere?

 

[Gutter Boy]

So it costs £13k in student fees a year? Yet the lecturer is only getting £32k?
So either the lecturer has very few students. Or the money is going elsewhere?

Fees are only £9k. On top of teaching staff there's the overheads too - buildings to maintain and power, technical equipment. You also need non-teaching staff like student support, library, technicians etc. The costs are £12k, so the loss margin on every student is 25%

 

[Lilbaz]

Fees are only £9k. On top of teaching staff there's the overheads too - buildings to maintain and power, technical equipment. You also need non-teaching staff like student support, library, technicians etc. The costs are £12k, so the loss margin on every student is 25%

You didn't mention pensions? Surely since the state pension is so fat they don't need to give 28.68% of the employees salary as a pension? Double the cost of pre 1992.

 

[MadSpurs]

NEW: The Government's "Black Sky" contingency plans for a national water or power blackout

• Around 100 BBC staff would be deployed to run an emergency RM radio studio stocked with enough food, water and fuel to keep it running for 3 days
• The BBC would broadcast pre-written Government scripts through the studio, including how to ration water, what to do if toilets stop working and which food to eat first (see scripts below)
• Radio masts would switch to diesel generators to keep broadcasts going for up to 72 hours without electricity
• BBC teams would use satellite phones to stay in contact, with agreed meeting points and backup arrangements if those phones stop working
• They would also report from emergency centres across the UK using satellite-equipped BBC vehicles to help keep information flowing to the public
• Emergency services would have alternative ways to communicate if mobile phone networks stopped working
• The Government is putting £70m towards aircraft that could restore mobile phone and internet coverage across the UK for over a week

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[Clarky]

It is interesting, that post Covid, with supply chains briefly decimated, we saw this 'supply and demand' bonfire for purchasing RAM and GPUs. Crypto mining, gaming PCs, drones, connectivity added to everything from a toaster to a fridge and the onset of data centres all causing prices to balloon. We now find the latter causing these spikes and certain Ai peddlers suggesting consumers shouldn't even have access to this technology. Why? The software that drives my business, is paid for these days by subscription. It has adopted Ai, some of the tools are game changers but the cost is, the software is forcing tech upgrades. Faster CPUs, more RAM, greater storage, bigger GPUs. Cloud backup is of course sensible for businesses who hold vital data. I've always been thrifty with my IT purchasing. I buy a laptop that is upgradable, I make it last. I build my own PCs, I do so with expansion in mind. I wonder if this will soon become a thing of the past? More opportunities for subscription and control.

 

[Gutter Boy]

It is interesting, that post Covid, with supply chains briefly decimated, we saw this 'supply and demand' bonfire for purchasing RAM and GPUs. Crypto mining, gaming PCs, drones, connectivity added to everything from a toaster to a fridge and the onset of data centres all causing prices to balloon. We now find the latter causing these spikes and certain Ai peddlers suggesting consumers shouldn't even have access to this technology. Why? The software that drives my business, is paid for these days by subscription. It has adopted Ai, some of the tools are game changers but the cost is, the software is forcing tech upgrades. Faster CPUs, more RAM, greater storage, bigger GPUs. Cloud backup is of course sensible for businesses who hold vital data. I've always been thrifty with my IT purchasing. I buy a laptop that is upgradable, I make it last. I build my own PCs, I do so with expansion in mind. I wonder if this will soon become a thing of the past? More opportunities for subscription and control.

Its Late Capitalist. Stop people owning anything and make them perpetually rent it

 

[thfcsteff]

It is interesting, that post Covid, with supply chains briefly decimated, we saw this 'supply and demand' bonfire for purchasing RAM and GPUs. Crypto mining, gaming PCs, drones, connectivity added to everything from a toaster to a fridge and the onset of data centres all causing prices to balloon. We now find the latter causing these spikes and certain Ai peddlers suggesting consumers shouldn't even have access to this technology. Why? The software that drives my business, is paid for these days by subscription. It has adopted Ai, some of the tools are game changers but the cost is, the software is forcing tech upgrades. Faster CPUs, more RAM, greater storage, bigger GPUs. Cloud backup is of course sensible for businesses who hold vital data. I've always been thrifty with my IT purchasing. I buy a laptop that is upgradable, I make it last. I build my own PCs, I do so with expansion in mind. I wonder if this will soon become a thing of the past? More opportunities for subscription and control.

Really interesting. I had not thought about the shift to subscriptions and then realised in my own realm I have several due to that shift. I agree re: hardware items, try to make them last. But like car I suppose, some build them precisely for timed obsolescence and have no interest in anything other than getting you to the next 'upgrade'...